Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-09-10
& MINERS LIFE.
The Romance Of Treasure Seeking In
the West-Fhe Life and Hard
ships Of Proprietor.
How lie Lives aud Works-The PerfIs and
Profits OF Fascinating Occupation.
Outfit of a Hunter.
New orb Star.

LII
unknown snd the uncertain possess g
charm tor mankind tbs: leads them TO
take great risks for the chance of great
gains; but i. is not Of those who, in
heated and ill.ventiIated rooms which q
sunbeam cannot enter uupolluted, with
ieverish anxiety watch the chances of the
green cloth, that / care to write. Neither
is it Of the gamblers in stocks and
shares who do on large scale
what the card gambler does on 8
small scale. 1t is of the brave and daring
pioneers of civiliz ition whose lie is one
great game OF chance with d grand green
"layout" under the skies where the birds
"chip I'M and sing-the western pros
peCtors,
The prospector combines in himself all
the romance Of frontier life. Though the
main object Of his existence is the seek
ing Of hidden treasures in the shape Of
mines OF gold, silver, copper and even
lead, he is incidentally . hunter, scout,
perchence ar Indian fighter, but above all
he ie gambler. He CANDLES away years
of his existence, lives the life of 8
reclusG, and travels from the TERRA
Calientc of Mexico 10 the trigid eteppes
of Alaska, Oh the chance that, some day
or other, he may "stTike it rich" mske
mis- "pile" and go home to the states to
Joy it. How often, while sitting
around the roaring cam? ire, haye 1 not
listened, amused TO hear old prospactcrs
discussing Whist they would do with the
81 100000 they expected to get for the
Side Wiper or the Piumed
Knight, or whatever il might be,
when taey got to New York. Cham
payne was always TO supplsnt whisky,
and en- aTiStCCratiC mansion on Fifth
avenue the "dugOut" When the pros
pect0r does make his "pile" he keeps his
word and goes esst, but very little
while sees him back once more on the
frontier. It's impossible almost for
man who has lived nearly I'll his life in
the wilderness TO shut himself Up sur
rounded by the restraints OF society. He
simply stiles for the want Of fresh eir
| The two ShCtlljn brothers, who discovered
Tombstone, 4. T, sold their mining in
| teTests for over s., eco, 600 each, went east,
and in six months were baCk prospecting
in the foothills CT the Sierrs Msdre One
OF them, IS | write, is prospecting for
SoId in South Africa, and another brother
! is locking for mineral in Alaska. Peter
June, e well known old French prosDec.
! tor, after years spent In New Mexico
struck It rich in 1856 and took & trip e
Paris. The "ouly city worth living in
| be used TO tell the boys, charmed
him SO little that he is now
wande1iUg through the mountains Of
| Idaho. Joe DOugherty, VINO, after 5trik-
/ Ing nothing for fifteen years, located s
mine of ergenti.erOus CarbOn3tcs CT the
| line Of Old Mexico &gd sold out to Sen
at0r Hearst and his partners flr $780,
600, is GlGo back after f brief expert nee
Of civilized life a. "the Bag" as 81 Cali
fOrnians call San Francisco.
The prospector's life is one TO fau in
love with. There Is not g man in tbs
world to-day mere independent thsQ tbs
prospector, and his hardships and dan
gers give to his occupation & zest ant
SAVIOR that relieves it from even q suspi
c1on of monotony.
Ii every mining state and territory o.
the country the prospeCtor may be found
but ne is III his glory in Colorado, New
Mexico and Arizona. The charm o.
prospecting is that il requires very little
previous knowledge, and the outfit neeC
not be very expensive, except one cares
to make II so.
II ore cared to make prospecting tTiT
in New Mexico and Southeastern Arizona
a geo place to start from would bt
Demtng, q station on the line Of thC
Southern Pacific Railroad, about fort
miles from the line Of Old Mexico
and quite s considerable town. You vii
require for outfit Winchester rife, 1;
Calkcr, and Il or 10 cali0er revolver
Colts, Merwin Hurlourts and Smith
WessOn are the patterns used on tht
frontier, and either Will do, but the cali
Der must not be under a if you dom
want to be l0ughed at as q tenderioCt
For your cartridges get one OF COlOn6
Mills cartridge belts-1ot the army pat
tern-which hcIds fifty rounds, and pu
your revolver cartridges on the left sid,
and your Winchester cartridges on tn
other. Have the scabbard OF your pisto
so that you can carry it butt to the front
You will hnd after little practice tia
you can draw your gun great des
quicker when you carry il this way. T,
be quick On the draw is a frontier virtue
well worth acquiring for one who woult
ay old the epitsph Of the California miner
He had sand in his craW,
But was Glow on the draw,
SO they buried him under the daisies.
In addition to your arms you will sle
want to carry good hunting knife il
your belt. For clothes, pair of goot
hide hunting boots, any cid pants or
pair Of csnTas overalls, blue flannel shirt
and the regular cowboys sombrero, to
gether with rubber coat in case it rains
will suffice. H4ve nothing to 60 with
buckski2 suit Il is too cold in Winte
and 700 warm in summer, and at best
"a affoctstion tit only for wild Yves
show. You will want a pair OF blanket
California ere the hest-to sleep in, en-
rubber sheet to put between you al
the ground,
The most important part OF tie ou,f
Of trOntiersma2 generally IS MS hors9
Coed ho.s can be gol ell the ray frcr
! $50 1o SlC0 in New Mexico, ard India
ponies from $40 Up. Pare bloode
> American horses should be avoided, 8
thty DO not stand hardships, ard reGdil
grow poor if not fed grain, while "a
Mexican broncno viii crow la on Lh
grsmm& grass of the mesas. The 1e;
horse 70 set is one that has enough /
American blood 10 take the "pufe cussed
ness" out OF him. Buy your horse at
respectable corral, and not from G strange,